Ian Collard – författare

In 1873 a company was formed to construct the first railway across Canada. It soon branched out into shipping, chartering ships from the Cunard Line for service between Vancouver, Yokohama, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In 1889 Canadian Pacific would be awarded the mail contract for the service across the Pacific and, by 1903, they would purchase Elder Dempster & Company and begin sailing from Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal.They obtained control of the Atlantic, rail and Pacific routes, and later interest in the Canadian–Australasian Line, becoming ‘the world’s greatest transportation system’, bridging two oceans and linking four continents. Canada’s largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific steamships until after the Second World War, CP Ships boasted such names as Empress of Britain, Empress of Ireland and Empress of Canada. This new history of the shipping side of Canadian Pacific includes a wealth of illustrations and a detailed fleet list that will enthral maritime enthusiasts.

This is a book about life in a great maritime port of the 1960s. The photographs from the period show a busy, vibrant scene of commercial and industrial activity. However, this was a point when shipping was about to change drastically, as the emphasis switched to the shipping of goods and general cargoes in containers. The large shipping lines restructured into new container consortiums and the big fleets of conventional ships vanished almost overnight. Along with them went the tugs, barges and ancillary industries that provided employment to thousands in the region. Today, many of Liverpool's docks and warehouses lie empty as most goods are shipped through the Royal Seaforth Container Terminal. The twilight years of the 1960s were the last heyday of Liverpool's long maritime history and are captured in Ian Collard's striking period pictures. From the glories of Cunard to the everyday to-ing and fro-ing of coastal ferries, the busy scenes of a port at work are bought to life. Sadly, it is a scene that has gone forever, but as Liverpool's dock buildings take on new roles and the city moves into the twenty-first century, we can at least look and remember the sea-going commerce that made Liverpool great.

The busy River Mersey and its two ports, Liverpool and Birkenhead, have seen great changes in recent years. In Mersey Ports - Liverpool and Birkenhead, Ian Collard charts the developments that have taken place in maritime life on the Mersey, from the 1950s and 1960s through to the present day. Ships of all shapes and sizes have been found on the Mersey, from the old Mersey ferries and the motor ferries that replaced them, to huge passenger liners and container ships. as well as tall ships, tugs and seacats. All of them feature in this detailed photographic history. A host of international shipping companies are represented, including Blue Funnel, Ellerman, Harrison and Elder Dempster lines. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. wintered its fleet in Morpeth Dock at Birkenhead, and Princes Landing Stage was once the focal point of activity at the docks, as passenger liners queued to berth.

Ellerman Lines was formed by John Reeves Ellerman at the end of the nineteenth century. Ellerman left home at age 14, and at 24 he established J. Ellerman & Co. in London; by 1893, he had been appointed chair of a shipping company. Following the acquisition of various companies, Ellerman Lines Ltd was formed on 22 January 1902, becoming one of the greatest shipping lines in the world. Services were offered to the Mediterranean, India, South America and East and South Africa as the Ellerman group grew and grew. Ellerman Lines traded successfully throughout war and peace, heavily involved in the war effort, until the third quarter of the century, when many countries gained their independence from Britain and 1960s containerisation saw this once great shipping line close for good. Using many previously unpublished photographs illustrating the different types of vessels owned by Ellerman Lines, experienced maritime author Ian Collard turns his attention to the company’s history, from its establishment in 1886 until the shipping business was bought by its management in 1985. It was then sold to the Trafalgar House conglomerate, which merged it with its ownership of the Cunard Line to form Cunard-Ellerman in 1987. In 1991 it passed to the Andrew Weir Shipping Group and in 2003 the Mediterranean, Middle East, African, Indian and Pakistan services were acquired by Hamburg Süd and the Ellerman brand was replaced by them exactly two years later.

In the late 1960s, P&O established ferry services in the North Sea and English Channel. Roll-on/roll-off operations and containerisation were introduced and new ships, facilities and investment was needed to take advantage of developments.What followed was several decades of growth, buyouts and divisions. The twenty-first century saw the closure of several routes as the ferries saw increased competition from low-cost airline and the Channel Tunnel. Throughout this period, P&O attracted a loyal customer base and became one of the most recognisable names on the sea.Utilising a selection of rare and previously unpublished images, maritime historian Ian Collard delves into the story of this iconic company and its ships.

Situated on the Wirral Peninsula, across the River Mersey from Liverpool, is the town of Birkenhead. It can trace its origins back to the twelfth century when a Benedictine priory and Mersey ferry were established here. Later, as a result of the Industrial Revolution, it expanded and prospered with the shipbuilders Cammell Laird, the docks and the Mersey Railway connecting Birkenhead and Liverpool. The town was the location for Britain’s first street tramway and the world’s first publicly funded civic park, which was designed by Joseph Paxton and is now a Grade I listed landscape. Birkenhead’s other architectural highlights are to be found in Hamilton Square with its many Georgian residences.In Birkenhead Reflections, local author Ian Collard has brought together a fascinating collection of historic and modern pictures that are individually merged to reveal how the town has changed over the decades. Each of the 180 pictures combines a recent colour view with the matching archive scene. Through the merged-image effect, readers can see how streets, buildings, industries, the port and aspects of everyday life have transformed with the passing of time. This evocative visual chronicle, which ingeniously reflects Birkenhead past and present, will appeal to residents and everyone with links to the town.

The major company in the short-sea passenger and freight business in 2020 is the Swedish Stena Line, who operate services to Europe, Scandinavia and Ireland from United Kingdom ports.The company was founded in 1962 by Sten A. Olsson in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was one of the first ferry operators in Europe to introduce a computer-based reservation system. In the 1980s, Stena took over three other ferry companies and their ships. Various other acquisitions followed, including the Harwich to Hook of Holland route The company doubled in size in 1990 following its takeover of Sealink British Ferries and Sea Containers. The company became Sealink Stena Line, then Stena Sealink Line, and finally Stena Line.With a wealth of rare and previously unpublished images, Ian Collard celebrates this famous company.

The first tugs were built at the beginning of the nineteenth century as a result of the development of enclosed docks and the increase in size and power of sea-going vessels. Tugs were needed to assist ships to their berths and to navigate larger vessels into narrow waterways and tight docking areas. Tugs can tow or push vessels and need to be highly manoeuvrable and powerful. It is thought that the first tugboat was the Charlotte Dundas, which was powered by a Watt engine and was employed towing barges on the Forth and Clyde Canal in Scotland in 1802. The early tugs were fitted with paddle wheels, which were later replaced by propeller driven vessels.Ian Collard looks at a range of tugs employed around the British Isles assisting a variety of ships in the major ports and a selection of the smaller ones. The book features previously unpublished photographs from the author’s collection accompanied by informative captions.

The Mersey Docks & Harbour Board was created in 1858, becoming a limited company in 1972. There followed a programme of investment in the facilities to be completed and the building of a new dock and terminals at Seaforth, Liverpool and Birkenhead. The carriage of goods in containers changed the way cargo was carried and the type and design of ships using ports around the world. By 2000 new facilities were being developed for the grain and timber trades. The scrap-metal trade took over many of the old berths and a new steel terminal was opened. The year 2000 was a time of transition for the port and the type of ships required to carry cargo and passengers. Roll-on/roll-off cargo to Ireland rose by a third in 2000, a new river terminal was built and new ferries were introduced. Specialist ships are employed on the new business and a cruise terminal was opened in 2008, which can accommodate the largest vessels to enter the Mersey. The River Mersey now welcomes every type of ship trading around the world, including dry-cargo, bulkers, oil tankers, tugs, coastal vessels, cruise ships and vessels arriving at Cammell Laird for annual overhaul, repair or conversion.Through a selection of fascinating images, Ian Collard explores the decline in areas of trade, consequent loss of traditional ships and the development of new business and ships specially designed and equipped to deal with the changing pattern of trade across the world.

In the early 1970s the shipping industry around the world was facing a crisis following competition from new forms of transport, package holidays and the introduction of the giant Boeing 737. People were able to fly across the Atlantic and to Australia in hours and the large ocean liners were soon running at a loss and were laid up. Here Ian Collard recounts the story of two friends who seized the opportunity to form and develop a cruise line which is now the largest and most successful of its kind in the world. Arison and Riklis borrowed capital and bought a number of the redundant ocean liners at bargain basement prices and provided cruise holidays for ordinary working people. They had a completely new business model and branded their concept as ‘fun cruises’ based on ‘a boatload of vision, a second-hand ship and just enough fuel to make the one-way trip from Miami to San Juan’.Ian Collard offers a vibrant selection of images to tell the fascinating story of Carnival Cruises, now known as ‘The World’s Most Popular Cruise Line’.

Founded in 1838 in Liverpool, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company was the first to operate steamships in the Pacific and primarily traded from the UK to the Pacific coasts of South America. Its most famous ships included the Reina del Pacifico and the Reina del Mar. With a line of notable firsts to its name, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company name had disappeared by 1984, part of the rationalization of Furness Withy Group. In 1990, Furness Withy itself was sold to Hamburg Sud, another line which had operated on the South Atlantic and Pacific routes. Many in Liverpool and in South and Central America, from Panama to Tierra del Fuego have fond memories of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company and this history and fleet list will bring back memories of those vessels of the line, both deep sea and coastal, which once operated on the South American run.

Liverpool City Centre History Tour is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this famous old port city. Local author Ian Collard guides us through the streets and alleyways, showing how its famous landmarks used to look and how they’ve changed over the years, as well as exploring its lesser-known sights and hidden corners. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and discover for themselves the changing face of Liverpool City Centre.

The Cunard Line’s Britannia was the first steamship to establish regular communication across the Atlantic. She sailed on her maiden voyage on 4 July 1840, setting in motion the first regular steamship line. Iron supplanted wood in hull construction and the screw propeller was gradually replacing the paddle wheel. The line became a public company in 1878 and became the Cunard Steam Ship Company Ltd. The construction of many famous ships such as Mauretania, Lusitania, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth followed, and the company continued to trade in profit until the introduction of the jet aircraft in the 1960s and 1970s. Following various restructuring and takeovers, the Cunard Line was acquired by the Carnival Corporation and now offers cruises on the Three Queens.Utilising many rare and unpublished images, Ian Collard offers a superbly illustrated look at the cruise ships operated by Cunard. Included here are images of the ships in many guises and liveries, with comprehensive annotation of these iconic liners.

The Wirral Peninsula in north-west England lies within Cheshire and Merseyside but has its own distinct identity. In the east, on the estuary of the River Mersey, lie the two largest urban centres on the Wirral, Birkenhead and Wallasey. These grew rapidly in the nineteenth century with large docks in both, increasing industrialisation and improved access to Liverpool across the Mersey. At the same time the resort of New Brighton was also established. On the eastern side of the Wirral, on the estuary of the River Dee, development in the towns of Hoylake, West Kirby and Heswall was slower, although improved transport links with Chester and Liverpool in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries saw these towns grow too. Away from these heavily populated towns, there are more rural areas in the south and west of the Wirral.Wirral From Old Photographs presents a fascinating portrait of the Wirral over the last 100 years. Drawing on an extensive collection of historical photographs, the author surveys how the area has changed, from the height of its industrial development, when the docks were busy, through the intense destruction of areas of the Wirral from aerial bombardment during the Second World War, post-war industrial decline and later regeneration. This book will appeal to all those who know this part of north-west England.